Observations from taking my bike on the train to and from Palo Alto yesterday. First off, if Palo Alto had decent bikeshare, I would have left my bike at Warm Planet. However, I needed a bike for my various destinations at Stanford/Palo Alto, so I had to bring mine with me. Really wish Caltrain would provide tags and a marker to help infrequent bikers indicate their destination. Unmarked bikes cause all sorts of inefficiencies and confusion.

Palo Alto University Ave always makes me want to weep. There is no city in America ostensibly more perfect for biking. Flat, perfect weather, short distances. And yet it is absolutely choked with cars. In contrast, the Stanford campus is so very, very pleasant for biking. Just a dream.

Coming home, took the 4:16 from PA. Train full of Giants fans, many drinking heavily. They were generally pretty well behaved, so I was a little shocked to step over an empty fifth of rum as I exited the car. (Not the bike car–couldn’t get a seat on that car because it was too full. Happy I got my bike on at all.) By Redwood City it was standing room only all up and down the aisles. From RC to SF is a pretty long distance to stand. And it was a hot day. Luckily with all those bodies Caltrain air conditioning kind of, sort of held up.

When the train stopped at 22nd st station, I couldn’t believe how many people got off the train. Holy Moly, there must have been two hundred! A young woman next to me guessed they might be going to the Mission for Cinco de Mayo festivities, but since the station is almost two miles from Mission Street, this seems unlikely. (Anyone with sense would take Bart to get to the Mission.) The crowd looked like folks going home from work. Makes me wonder just how many people get off work before 5 o’clock?

I sat next to a Dutch man, and of course we talked about biking. He said his 90 year old mother still bikes, partly because it’s easier for her to carry things on her bike than any other way. Only when the weather is fine, of course.